Featured Thoughts on Georgian sentimental brooch

Hi everyone,

A friend has asked me to find out more about this stunning family brooch. I have done a bit of digging and it looks to be a Georgian sentimental sepia painted brooch, probably painted with real human hair mixed with the ink.

I would love to know more about what the picture represents though. I have seen some are mourning and others sentimental and the small seed pearls could represent tears (one has come loose). I am not sure though what the fire represents and it seems to have some type of stone in the base of the fire too, a quartz perhaps? Do we think mourning or sentimental for this piece?

Also any way to be more accurate on the date of the brooch?

I also wonder about the split in the side of casing, presumably a flaw over time? And obviously the pin has broken off but it can still be worn as a pendant.

Happy for any information you can provide on this piece, whether mentioned above or not as a question, as I would love to go back to her with as much information as possible!

TYIA for your help on this lovely antique.

 

Very lovely! I wonder if the bale is original as usually a bale should be vertical to the face of the pendant so that the front of it will face right forward on a chain

 

I don’t understand what you mean by the bale ring shamster, here’s a couple of similar brooches that look like the OPs.

 

Oh I see, so they're actually made for safety chain, not for being worn as a pendant?

 

They're both. The original idea was to wear it as a pendant before safety chains were a thing.

 

Wanted to see it a bit better:



Agree late Georgian/early Victorian. My impression, after seeing these over the years, is that you cold buy them ready made, have the altar or grave marker personalized before the painting was put under glass.

This one, with its flames in color & pearls decorating it, is different than others I've seen. Small pearls dotting a memento of a lock hair are not unusual. Have never heard of pearls = tears before; no guarantee it wasn't true. The composition suggests the grief is for a fiance or a young husband.

The split is just where the frame has come apart. As has been pointed out, the bail (the ring at the top) needs to have another ring between it & the pendant to hang correctly.

 

I’ve heard of pearls being symbolic of tears, it’s why some see them as unlucky here.

 

Thank you everyone for the replies, much appreciated.

I will pass on to her about adding another ring to the bail to wear it, as she has said she would like to. Any thoughts on what the gold content (I'm presuming gold) is likely to be so she can match it?

@Bronwen thank you for your reply; when I was researching the piece one of the articles mentioned pearls as symbols for tears, which is why I mentioned it, I didn't know it myself either. I was struggling to find any quite like it with the added pearls and colour too!

Sad to think it is a mourning piece for someone about to be or recently married! I won't see her for a couple of weeks but it will be interesting to find out if she knows of any story of this in her family. If I find anything out I will let you know!

It really is a most interesting piece and I feel privileged she has trusted me with it to find out more!!

 

At least 15 carat.

 

I'm sure the device/monogram on the altar has significance, but I can't make it out.

 

Thanks, late at night here but will see if it's possible to get a clearer photo of the altar part tomorrow in daylight incase that helps at all.

Good to know carat @Ownedbybear, thank you.

 

Very sweet piece, your friend is lucky to have it from family.
Concur with all was said above, and just wanting to add that the altar is a mother or pearl plaque

 

Fantastic, good to know it's MOP, thanks @kyratango.

She is definitely going to be happy with all I have found out, as she knew nothing before. I am going to type it all up for her so she can keep it with it.

I promised a couple of extra photos and so will put them here anyway, tried my best but a bit stormy here today so the light isn't the best!

 

I tried:



When looked at this way, the pearls look like stones that were used in the building of the monument. Pretty sure the cherub is carrying a torch; not entirely sure. The braided wire of the decoration/symbol on the main block remind me of grain. Wondering if this is how it has always looked. Any sign of shifting?

 

With new enlarged pics, I don't think it is a mourning piece, rather a love gift with the flames for "amour ardent", the cherub holding heart and a faint heart on the face of the altar!

 

Grain is associated with abundance, fertility, if grain it is meant to be.

 

Thank you @kyratango and @Bronwen and sorry for the slow reply, I had been under the weather and forgot to check back because of it.

You are right, the cherub is holding something which looks heart shaped but under the loop I cam see what looks like flames coming from it, so I presume it is a torch, unless you would have flames coming from a heart to show love?! A love gift would be nice too.

I have looked at the altar and I am not too sure how to tell if there is movement on the possible grain; there is some slight discolouration (darker area in the pic) and I think possibly it has shifted slightly to the right, away from the discoloured area, so from what you said, that could make sense. I know a couple of the pearls are loose, so the gold there shifting is definitely feasible.

Looking forward to seeing my friend with all this great insight next week!! Thank you.

 

A heart aflame in the hands of Cupid is a good symbol for a passionate love. Echoes of the Sacred Heart as well.

 

Ooh, so a heart it is then! Glad this piece is a token of love, nicer to report back on too.